


It's Not a Date

by delcrafts



Series: TwoBats [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Friendship/Love, Harvey is Redeemed, M/M, Movie Dates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 18:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13932768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delcrafts/pseuds/delcrafts
Summary: Amidst all the chaos of Harvey opening a new law firm starting his post-crime career and Bruce balancing his two lives, they find time to watch a movie with one another. Having not spent time together in seemingly, and possibly literally, years that didn't consist of Harvey attempting to kill Bruce, under his Batman persona, who was consequently attempting to arrest him, neither are quite ready to admit to themselves or each other that friendships-- feelings-- change over time.





	It's Not a Date

The watch on his wrist read six fifty-nine as clear as day.

Harvey said he should be finished with today’s load of work by seven o’clock, though his habit of bringing his work home with him made Bruce wonder if he’d make it to the Manor on time. He checked his watch. It seemed all too rare that they were able to get together and spend an evening together without their lines of work getting in the way. Upholding justice wasn’t particularly a nine-to-five. These worries were dispelled by the reverberation of a short series of knocks on the main door throughout the halls.

“Would you like me to get that, Master Wayne?” Alfred offered, and Bruce waved off the request as he got up to let his friend inside. For whatever reason, he felt as if it would be impersonal to not greet Harvey at the door himself. They were— no, they are— friends, after all.

Outside, Harvey plunged his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker and exhaled sharply. He forgot how massive this place was, looming tall as the only building for some time. It didn’t intimidate him, nor did it cause him to think any differently of Bruce. Unlike many, he didn’t enjoy materialistically based friendships used to further the gain of the less privileged half; Harvey didn’t, at least— he couldn’t speak for Two-Face.

When Bruce opened the door and Harvey entered, they of course exchanged pleasantries, yet their banter felt very forced. The air hung with a tension that bordered fear. It wasn’t that either was afraid of the other, as many may have been of having an intimate evening with ex-rogue Two-Face, so much as that they were afraid that their friendship had changed. It had been so long since they last had just relaxed together. People change, as do feelings, and change is a terrifying thing to face. What if things weren’t as they were? They didn’t mention it.

Their evening together was started by dinner in a small dining area in the kitchen; dates in the past had shown Bruce that sitting in the dining hall usually impeded communication, not that this was a date. It was not a date, simply dinner and a movie to catch up on things with his best friend.

The food was good enough: steak, corn, and mashed potatoes. Alfred was an excellent cook. The tension of earlier seemed to melt away as the conversation shifted from business to personal life. Things seemed almost normal again. Almost.

“How are things with, you know–”

Harvey took a long drink of wine. “Him? When he’s in control now– which’s been a lot rarer– he isn’t… violent, or isn’t as violent. So good. We’re good.”

“Good.” Bruce shifted the topic quickly. He didn’t want to linger on such a sensitive subject, and didn’t want to pry. “So, have you met any special ladies lately?”

“Hah! Have you seen me?” He gestured at his face, though he sounded as if he were mostly joking. But every joke was rooted in a little truth, right? Often, he wore a half-mask to cover his scars. Harvey didn’t want his appearance to factor into how people automatically perceived him, even if it made him give off a phantom-of-the-opera vibe and was more than a little stuffy at times. Here with Bruce, he felt comfortable enough to not need to do so.

“Harv!”

“Besides, who says I’m just looking for women? They didn’t call me Mr. Dual for just being a hit with the ladies, y’know.”

“Harvey!”

After dinner, they settled into the movie room. Harvey insisted the room was a home theatre. What else do you call a room with a U-couch, huge television, and surround sound that was dedicated exclusively to watching movies and television? Bruce told him that was ridiculous.

“If I wanted to have a home theatre, I’d put in an actual big screen and replace the couch with rows of chairs. Much less comfortable,” He joked.

Harvey picked the movie: Hot Fuzz. It had been one of his favorite movies for quite some time, even before the accident. He and Two-Face didn’t argue about it, and that said a lot. What was there to argue about? One wants comedy, the other wants action. The movie was both. Nicholas Angel was his favorite character, as they shared the same black-and-white worldview. Otherwise, the action was great and he enjoyed the sub-plot with Danny and Nic.

“Blanket?” Bruce offers, sliding along the lengthy sofa. It was rather chilly in the room, and neither were particularly dressed for warmth. (Bruce was in a tee shirt and sweatpants, while Harvey was in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, his obnoxiously colored windbreaker having been left near the door.) Harvey, engrossed in the movie, just nodded in response. They had to sit closer together to share the blanket, and almost instinctively, Bruce wrapped an arm around Harvey.

“Bruce?” Harv spoke, still entranced by the actions on screen.

“Hm?”

“You have your arm around me.” He didn’t sound upset by it, stating the fact with little to no emotion in his voice.

“Is… that an issue?” Bruce suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious of his actions, drawing his arm back. He should have at least asked if that were okay. What if he’d made Harvey uncomfortable? Friends didn’t typically cuddle on the couch while watching action-comedy-romance movies, after all.

Harvey took time deliberating a response, leaning back against the couch and looking away from the screen to meet Bruce’s eyes with a placid smile. “Nope.” He leaned over some, resting the scarred side of his face on his friend’s shoulder as Bruce returned his arm to its initial position slowly. The rest of the movie was in relative silence, as they just enjoyed it and the close proximity to one another.

By the time it was over, it was late, probably midnight. Harvey yawned against his friend’s shoulder, and the movement made Bruce shift a little. Though the movie wasn’t boring, the time of night was wholly responsible for making him so drowsy. Oddly, Bruce wasn’t the least bit tired.

With another yawn, Harv mumbled something about not knowing if he could drive home without falling asleep behind the wheel, and Bruce offered for him to stay the night. With enough empty rooms to house a small army, it wouldn’t be an issue, and so Alfred was summoned to prepare a room for him.

“Aren’ you gonna go to bed too?” Harvey sleepily asked.

Bruce sighed, smiled wryly, and answered cryptically, “No, there’s still a few things I need to do tonight.”

“Do you ever sleep?”

“No.”

Harv shrugs before following Alfred off to the prepared guest room. “Well that much about you hasn’t changed.”

Even if so much had changed, perhaps change could be a good thing.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be more fics like this, and they will have something of a loose but coherent plot. Essentially what I'm saying is throughout these little domestic stand-alone fics, there will be a plot cataloguing the development of their relationship.


End file.
